Search form

UCLA Upsets No. 15 Cal In Overtime, 77-68

Los Angeles, Calif. - The UCLA women's basketball team opened its Pac-10 schedule with a 77-68 overtime win over No. 15-ranked California Wednesday night in Pauley Pavilion. Senior forward Amanda Livingston led six Bruins in double-digit scoring with 16 points, including several key free throws in the extra period.

After trailing by a 34-26 margin at halftime and a 10-point deficit early in the second half, the Bruins mounted a comeback. A Noelle Quinn free throw at 12:53 tied the game at 40 and capped a 12-2 run over a five-minute stretch, but Cal answered with a 7-0 run of its own to go up 47-40 with 11:34 to play. UCLA then ran off five straight points to close to within two again, 47-45, and a Quinn jumper at 8:00 got UCLA to within one, 48-47. UCLA took its first lead since it scored the first basket of the game, 23 seconds into the contest, at the 7:18 mark on a pair of Chinyere Ibekwe free throws, but Cal regained the lead and jumped ahead by six, 60-54, at 4:56 on a Devanei Hampton layup. UCLA answered again with a 10-0 run to take a 64-60 lead. The Bruin run was keyed by six consecutive points in a 30-second span by Erica Latimer, who connected on two free throws and two layups.

After Natasha Vital and Tierra Henderson traded baskets, Hampton hit two free throws with 1:11 to play to bring Cal to within two, 66-64, and then tied the score on a shot in the lane with 28 seconds remaining. The Bruins elected not to call timeout, and Quinn dribbled out the clock for the final possession. With six seconds remaining, Quinn passed to Lindsey Pluimer, who missed a 15-foot shot from the left side of the lane with four ticks on the clock. Cal rebounded the miss, and the horn sounded, sending the game into overtime with the score knotted at 66.

Cal turned the ball over on its first possession of the extra period, and UCLA's Ibekwe was fouled on the Bruins' initial trip down the floor. She made one of two free throws for a 67-66 Bruin lead. After Levy misfired on a three-point attempt, UCLA grabbed the carom, and Livingston was fouled. The Bruin senior hit both free throw attempts for a three-point cushion with 4:08 on the clock. Following another Cal turnover, Livingston was fouled again and converted both attempts to give UCLA its largest lead of the night to that point at 71-66 with 3:33 remaining in the overtime period.

After the teams traded missed free throws, Quinn was fouled and hit a pair of free throws with 1:52 to play to extend the Bruin margin to seven points. Hampton broke the overtime ice for Cal, which turned the ball over four times in the first three minutes, with a basket in the lane with 1:31 on the clock to bring the score to 73-68. UCLA turned the ball over with 1:01 on the clock, but Cal could not take advantage and missed a three-point shot with the shot clock winding down with 32 seconds remaining. Quinn was fouled with 24 seconds to play and made both attempts in the double bonus to make it 75-68. Hampton misfired on a shot for Cal with 15 seconds to play, and the Golden Bears fouled Pluimer after UCLA grabbed the rebound. Pluimer hit both free throws for the final margin.

In addition to her team-high 16 points, Livingston also had a career-high tying 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year. She also tied her career high with five assists. Also in double figures were Ibekwe (13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds), Pluimer (12 points, seven rebounds), Quinn (12 points, seven assists), Latimer (career-high 12 points) and Henderson (10 points on 5-6 shooting from the field). Hampton led all players with a career-high 27 points. Freshman guard Lauren Greif led the Golden Bears with a career-high-tying 10 rebounds.

'This was an excellent effort and we kept fighting,' said UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier. 'We had great balance. It was a total team effort and a nice team win.'

UCLA improves to 7-6 overall, 1-0 in the Pac-10. California drops to 8-2, 0-1 in the Pac-10. The Bruins will host Stanford on Friday, Dec. 22 at 2 pm in Pauley Pavilion, and California will travel to USC to face the Women of Troy at 1 pm.